Finding the Perfect Balance between Work, Fun and Family

The Things I Wish Someone Told Me when I was a Teen!

Life can get a bit hectic sometimes, and can also cause people to lose sight of the things that are most important to them over time. If it takes just a few days to get used to a habit, a few thousand days can shape an entire character of a person, transforming them into workaholic machines that are unable to see anything beyond the next deadline. This not only leads them to unhappiness when it comes to different areas in their life, but also towards the dreaded mid-life crisis.
The good thing is, it’s never too late to mend up messed up ends. Wow, that’s kinda Zen isn’t it? The following tips will enable you to create the perfect work life balance, which will consequently enable you to enjoy happiness and healthy relationships in both areas of your life.

Separate you’re Work from Your Family:

No, you don’t need to find work in another city. When it comes to balancing your professional and personal life, you cannot immense yourself in one without sacrificing the other. Dealing with these areas can be challenging and can also lead to bad performance at work and relationship breakups, which is why you need to separate the two.
In order to manage your time more wisely, you must first determine how your time can be divided amongst the two areas without creating any issues. Spending time with the family means, spending time with the family, for example, if your work calls for eight hours of work during weekdays, make it a point to try and finish your assignments at work before the clock strikes five or six in the evening. Then leave. You will always have the next day to complete your office work.
Hang out with friends or family after work. If you aren’t able to do so because of the work load, show your family that they are loved and valued even when you are busy by making it up to them during the weekends. That being said, some people are completely capable of separating their work and family life, but fall short when it comes to taking out time for themselves. Although, work and family are important, not paying proper attention to one’s personal needs can lead to a number of problems, such as, health deterioration.

Don’t Wait for Things to Become Urgent:

Some people have a funny way of prioritizing their work. “If it’s not urgent, it can wait”, wow. So, the outcome is, all the not-so-urgent stuff piles up, and when they really become urgent and need to be done ASAP, people go into crazy mode, spend late nights at the office, chugging down mugs of coffee and making everyone’s life miserable, at home and at work.
There are two outcomes that can happen from here, either you will fail in completing the assigned projects, or you will complete them in a brilliant way and make the clients and the boss happy. But one thing will be certain either way; people who work like that are always tired and too spent even when they get home to give their family the time they deserve. To stay safe, don’t keep stuff for doing later on, when they really become urgent.

Mind Your Language:

What you choose to say to yourself has an impact on the way you behave. Making a mistake is okay, because it teaches you valuable lessons. Learn from those mistakes to make sure they don’t happen again. Self-criticism doesn’t work in your favor so, when things spiral out of control, don’t be too hard on yourself, try looking for solutions instead.
Cut a Commitment:
Along with having a to-do list for your daily chores, try to set goals for the family. Often time’s people get so caught up with their work that they are unable give family their due time. So, plan a trip to take a family vacation somewhere, try and fit it into your schedule, commit yourself to it and make sure you follow up on that commitment.

Prioritize, Prioritize, And Prioritize!

It is important to stay connected with those you love, mainly your family even if you feel both your work and your family are important to you. Most people create conflicts because they are unable to decide which of the two takes precedence when it comes to time management. For instance, you job pays the bills and keeps a roof over your head, but that doesn’t mean you should neglect your family. At the same time, your kids may be a twenty-plus year project, but they will only be kids once. So, knowing when to neglect one when the other needs nurturing is important when it comes to managing time and taking care of commitments, both at the job and in your home.

Know when to Quit:

This is a tough pill to swallow, but you don’t have to continue doing something if you feel it is not getting you anywhere. The truth is, no matter how much we try to think we are in control of things (our life), there are going to be times when things don’t turn out according to plan. Having a constructive approach in those situations is always better than looking for excuses for why you screwed up. Whenever something goes south, focus your energy on the solution and on what you need to do next.

All Roads Lead to Rome:

No two people are alike, so assuming that others will see things your way is naive. We all like to do things in our own unique and personal way, but we should do things in ways that don’t disrupt our personal or professional lives. People are not mind readers, so let those who are dear to you know what’s on your mind.
When it comes to taking care of tasks while balancing between work and family, effective time management will be your Rome, so instead of being unknowingly inconsiderate with colleagues, family or your friends, try looking in the same direction and working things out so everybody’s happy.

Conclusion:

It is important to remember that people are unpredictable and situations change over time. Creating a balance between work and family can get messy sometimes, which is why it is an on-going balancing act that needs to evolve and be rebalanced with time. In essence, all time management advice will be hard to put into practice at first, but for the well being of yourself and your family, it is important to examine your daily routine to determine if there is room for change, identify those areas and then work on them.